At least 2 dead in storm; Power restoration could take week

Many Marylanders are still cleaning up three days after severe thunderstorms left hundreds of thousands without power and as many as two people dead. Several counties in the area have opened cooling centers to help those affected.

Gov. Martin O'Malley issued a state of emergency Saturday afternoon as cleanup efforts and work to restore power continued. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also declared a state of emergency as more than 90,000 electricity customers lost service after the storm on Saturday.

Baltimore Gas and Electric reported more than 500,000 customers lost electric service after the storm. By 11 a.m. Monday, crews restored service to about 60 percent of those affected, although about 231,000 customers remained without power, and BGE stressed that full restoration of service could extend into the week.

BGE spokesman Rob Gould told viewers that those who are without power should prepare to be without it through the end of the week, although the utility does expect to have power back on for most people before then (watch his interview here). He said it will be a slow process because the utility did not have additional crews on call Friday, saying there was no advance warning of the storm's intensity.

"The damage we're seeing is very akin with Hurricane Irene with poles down," Gould told 11 News. "We had more than 750,000 customers out with Irene. This one, we have more than 500,000 customers out within the span of two hours. The damage is massive. We didn't have any crews in place -- nor did anybody throughout the region -- to be able to respond. So, we're waiting for crews to come in."

Most of the outages over the weekend struck Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City particularly hard. Baltimore County had the most outages at more than 113,500 on Saturday, followed by Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City with as many as 91,000 outages.

More than 2,200 utility workers, including more than 900 out-of-state crews from as far away as Canada and Texas, are working to restore service.

"Our crews are out there, but the reality is there is a lot of work ahead of us, and we're going to be deep into next week before full restoration is complete," Gould said.

Gould also warned of downed wires, saying, "live wires can be hidden in the leaves of tress with full canopies."

"I'd like to be able to say there's one area, (but) it's everywhere. Unfortunately, it's going to be a long haul because there's no one area that really took the brunt of this storm -- certainly, to the south (took) a lot more," Gould said."

BGE urges anyone without power to contact the utility at 877-778-2200. As of Sunday, the call center has handled more than 726,000 calls and continued to work fully staffed with almost 200 operators.

Food in the refrigerator is safe if the power has been off for no more than four hours. After that, discard perishables such as meat, poultry, soft cheese, eggs and leftovers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a list for more details on its website. A full freezer can keep food frozen for 48 hours after a loss of power. A half-full freezer can keep food frozen for 24 hours.

Getting around Monday

Some local roads may still have debris strewn in travel lanes, or may be blocked altogether. Officials are urging drivers to plan for extra time.

The governor called for liberal leave for non-essential state employees for Monday. Federal agencies in Washington, D.C., opened Monday, and employees had an option to choose unscheduled leave or telework.

The Maryland Transit Administration said Light Rail and MARC trains will run normal schedules Monday, but they advise passengers that delays are possible if more storms persist.

Some MTA bus lines may also be re-routed because of blocked roads.

Over the weekend, blocked roadways diverted many bus routes, and shuttle buses were operating between Light Rail's North Avenue and Hunt Valley stations.

Storm-related fatalities under investigation

At least two storm-related fatalities were reported. A 25-year-old man was killed in Anne Arundel County when a tree fell on the SUV he was driving. The crash injured two passengers.

In Montgomery County, a large maple tree fell through a house of a Silver Spring, killing a 71-year-old woman sleeping in her bedroom.

The Coast Guard suspended a search late Sunday morning for a man who disappeared Friday night when the boat he was on capsized during the storm. A fishing boat rescued two others found clinging to a crab pot.

In Washington, D.C., district officials are investigated a death believed to be related to the storm. District officials have also called a state of emergency.

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall had to close because of damage to tents.

In Virginia, as many as six people were reported dead as a result of the storm.

Power outage meant water outage in northwest corner

Power outages disrupted the Pikesville Pumping Stations for much of Saturday, leaving Park Heights, Lochearn, Pikesville, Randallstown, Pleasant Hill, Owings Mills, Reisterstown and Glyndon without water or at very low pressure.

Baltimore City Department of Public Works said water service came back online for customers at about 5 p.m. Saturday, but customers were urged to continue conserving water until Sunday so the tanks could fill.

Storms, power outages disrupt water service

The storms were also responsible for a power outage at the Annapolis Water Treatment Plant, which operated on generator power Saturday. By Sunday, the plant had full power and all water tanks were filled to normal levels.

Anne Arundel County officials distributed water to residents who use well water. The county's water system was OK, officials said.

Annapolis officials had asked residents to limit all nonessential water use Saturday. The city lifted the order at noon Sunday.

WSSC lifts mandatory water restrictions

Mandatory water restrictions were also lifted Sunday afternoon for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers. The restrictions had affected residential and commercial customers in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, where power outages affected WSSC's two water filtration plants and other facilities.

WSSC cited the week's hot weather for high water consumption.

Notes around town

If your car got towed in Baltimore City, you couldn't get it back Saturday if it was towed to the Pulaski Highway Impound and Storage Facility. According to the Department of Transportation, the facility lost power and would re-open Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

A tractor-trailer crashed into a jersey wall on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge late Friday night. Maryland Transportation Authority Police said the driver suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The crash shut down the bridge for a period of time.